The Trump administration has taken an extreme measure by labelling over 6,000 living immigrants as deceased, effectively revoking their social security numbers and cutting off their access to work and government benefits. This action aims to pressure these individuals into leaving the country on their own. Those affected had legally entered the U.S. under temporary programs created during Joe Biden’s presidency and had been issued valid social security numbers, nine-digit IDs given by the federal government to citizens, permanent residents, and authorised temporary workers.

Social security numbers are essential in official processes, such as tracking income and social security contributions. By revoking these numbers, the Trump administration is effectively cutting off immigrants from key financial services, making it harder for them to access banks or other basic support systems. This action is part of a vaster crackdown targeting immigrants who entered the U.S. under programs introduced during the Biden administration, including more than 900,000 individuals who came through the CBP One app.

On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security revoked the legal status of those who entered using the CBP One app. These individuals had been allowed to stay in the U.S. for two years with work authorisation under presidential parole during Biden's term. Now, they’re being asked to leave the country voluntarily. However, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from forcing hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, who currently hold temporary legal status, to leave later this month.

Skye Perryman, who serves as President and CEO of Democracy Forward, a group known for legally challenging several actions taken by the Trump administration, criticised the president, saying, "This president continues to engage in lawless behaviour, violating the law and abusing our systems of checks and balances." According to a report by the Associated Press, the organisation is expected to take legal action regarding handling social security numbers once more information is released.

In a related move, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Treasury Department signed an agreement allowing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to share immigrants' tax information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation purposes. Under this agreement, ICE can send immigrants' names and addresses to the IRS to cross-check against tax records. This deal led to the resignation of acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause amid concerns over the potential abuse of taxpayer data. The Trump administration's efforts to target immigrants have also been met with legal opposition. A federal judge recently blocked a team led by billionaire Elon Musk from accessing social security data containing personal information on millions of Americans, calling their actions a "fishing expedition."